Police found a missing nine-year-old New York girl in the cabinet of a double-wide trailer near her family’s home after her alleged captor left a ransom note, according to a press conference with state officials.
Charlotte Sena, whose disappearance on a bike ride in late September captured the attention of the nation, was located Monday night, ABC reported, citing a statement from New York State Police.
Officers charged Craig Ross Jr. with kidnapping after finding Charlotte in a cabinet in his camper, according to CBS News. He was arraigned in Milton Town Court and is being held without bail at the Saratoga County Jail, WFLA’s JB Biunno reported Tuesday morning.
The man accused of abducting #CharlotteSena has been arraigned in Milton Town Court on kidnapping charges.
Craig Ross Jr., 46, is currently held at the Saratoga County Jail. His mug shot has been posted. pic.twitter.com/kJ8wwH9aLj
— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) October 3, 2023
The suspect allegedly drove up to the Sena family home at 4:20 a.m. Monday morning and left what appeared to be a ransom note in the family’s mailbox, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press conference that night. State troopers ran a fingerprint they found on the note and matched it with a 1999 DWI the suspect received in Saratoga.
I’m at the New York State Police Troop G Headquarters in Latham providing an update on the rescue of Charlotte Sena. Watch live: https://t.co/XAGYj6mm79
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 3, 2023
“They found a double wide house with a woman, the suspect’s mother,” Hochul said. “The suspect lived in the camper behind. They had what they call a dynamic entry, a tactical maneuver, and within the camper they located the suspect. After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody.”
She further said Sena “appeared to be outwardly physically unharmed.” Sena was brought to a local hospital, “and that’s all the family wishes to reveal at the time,” Hochul added. (RELATED: Last Three Men Acquitted In Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Chock-Full Of FBI Meddling)
The rescue ends a three-day search-and-rescue effort led by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers and assisted by the FBI and a multitude of local police departments. Over 400 certified search-and-rescue personnel worked to cover the 6,250-acre Moreau Lake State Park, where Charlotte was last seen before her rescue, according to ABC.
Sena’s mother, Jené, thanked law enforcement agencies for rescuing her little girl. “We are thrilled that she is home and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets. A huge thank you to the FBI, the New York State [P]olice, all of the agencies that were mobilized, all of the families, friends, community, neighbors and hundreds of volunteers who supported us and worked tirelessly to bring Charlotte home,” she said, according to CBS New York’s Tony Aiello.